Are stick on nails as hardy as acrylics/gels?
- It depends how gentle you are and the glue you use to attach them. The nails themselves are not as hard a acrylics but they are more flexible so you are less likely to chip a nail.
How do I remove stick ons?
- If you used nail tape/double sided tape then soak the nails in warm water, after 10 min gently peel the nails off. If you have used nail glue you will need to to soak your nails in nail polish remover and melt the nails off. Do not peel the nails off or you could damage your natural nails.
Can I re-use stick on nails?
- Yes… but it depends how gentle you are at removing them. If you attach them with stickers or tape you can reuse them. If you remove them with nail polish remover you will most likely melt the nails and they will be unusable.
Does all the stuff like the diamantes and 3d parts really stay on? How long do they last?
- Yes. One or two might occasionally fall off and need re-gluing but if you stick them on well to begin with and make sure to top coat a couple of times with clear polish any damage should me minimal. To stick them on you can either use clear nail polish or epoxy glue. DO NOT USE EPOXY ON YOUR NATURAL NAILS.
What is the process of sticking the nails on with glue?
- First clean your nails and remove any old nail polish.
- Then lightly file the flat part of your natural nail. This is to give it some grip so the glue with stick to it. Do not file too much.
- Place glue all over the nail in a thin layer.
- Place the nail over the top an position it how you like
- Press down firmly on the nail. If you have a transparent fake nail you should make sure that all air bubbles in the glue are pressed out.
- Apply pressure evenly for around 1min. Do not take the pressure off until you are sure it’s stuck.
- When you remove the pressure your nail should be stuck on. Do the rest of the hand then leave it to dry for around 10 min.
- If you feel they need more glue you can always add a little more at the cuticle edge or underneath the nail for extra hold.
- Special tip: If you’re going to get long nails you should do the 4 fingers on your left hand first, then 4 fingers on your right hand and do the thumbs last so you have as much mobility as possible until the end. Obviously if you’re left handed you should start with your right hand :)
What is the easiest way to make french tips?
- You can buy special french tips stickers to guide but I’ve never really liked them. I’ve seen people use painters masking tape as guide lines too but I haven’t tried it.The easiest way that I’ve found so far is to use a very long thin nail art brush with a slight curve in it. Use that to make the line you want the curve to follow and then fill in the rest of the tips quickly with a larger brush. You really need to have something to lean your hand on to keep it steady for this though. If I find an easier way I’ll let you all know!
How can I reuse ceramic flowers and charms?
- This only works for ceramic parts not acrylic parts… If you don’t mind wrecking the false nail they were previously attached to, the easiest way is to dissolve the nail in polish remover. If you can pull the flowers off your nails then just soak them in some polish remover until you remove any polish or dirt, rinse them in water then they will be as good as new.
How do you paint all the small details?
- With a very small paint brush and a lot of patience.
Does having acrylics/stick ons damage your natural nails?
- To a point they will damage your nails but it really depends on how you wear them. If you wear false nails all the time for several months straight it can make your nails soft and yucky. This is because nails need air to breathe so when you cover them for ages you deprive them of air. It’s like when you have a bandaid on for a really long time and then take it off and the new skin is all white and smooshy. This is why most nail artists will recommend you take a 1 week break from nails every 3 months. Also you should never peel your false nails off! Only ever remove them following the instructions provided, peeling with damage your nails!BUT!!!That’s not to say that you can’t wear them without damaging your nails. If you properly remove them, take care of them and take appropriate breaks in between you can safely wear nails with no problems. My naturals nails are still the same as they have always been.
What you need to remember when you wear false nails is hygiene! You can’t see when the underneath is dirty because they are opaque so please remember to wash your hands and use an orange stick to clean out any gunk. If you ever see any mold or it starts to smell weird that is a good sign you aren’t cleaning them well enough and you should change your nails. Having a good anti bacterial wash is very useful.Also there are many repairing nail treatments that you can buy to solve any damage problems.Follow those tips and you shouldn’t have any problems ^_^
What do you hold the nails on when you paint them?
- I’ve tried quite a few things for this but what I’ve settled on is a block of wood with several hooks screwed in. I then blue tac the nails to the hooks. Like this:
Do you have tips on how to do Konads stamps?
- I have a billion tips for Konads, they are so awesome but it really takes time to work on the best technique! I think I will dedicate a separate post just to Konad tips as well as posting some of the most useful ones here…
- Have everything set out and within arms reach *before* you start. This will save you so much time if something goes wrong!
- Have an orange stick with a tiny little bit of cotton wool on the end dipped in nail polish remover handy. You can use it to gently wipe away any Konad mistakes without damaging any of the polishes underneath. This way you don’t have to re-do the entire nail if you make a little mistake.
How can I stop my Konad stamps from running and bleeding?
- Running is all about technique. Firstly it might be the polish you’re using, if you’re not using a Konad brand polish then the polish you’re stamping on might not be thick enough. Thicker is better for Konad. Secondly it might be the topcoat. The way you brush a top coat on can mess up the stamp. Again in this area of Konad more is more, rather than using a tiny bit of polish I have found that loading up the brush with a huge amount and very gently pushing it around the nail in around 3 strokes works well. The less you touch the nail the better and the top coat will dry in the same way no matter how thick the coat is.
Why don’t my nails look as good/shiny/awesome as the nails I see in Japanese magazine?
- Most of those nails tend to have gel overlays. This makes them suuuuper shiny and bright, you can’t get that effect without gel overlays.
What do I do if one of the charms falls off my nail?
- If you have kept the charm you can easily re-attach it with clear nail polish or nail polish glue. Once it is dry you should be able to do a top coat which will protect it.
About *My* Nails Specifically…
Are your nails natural?
- No. I have very short natural nails because I’m terrible and I bite them.
How on earth do you do *insert menial household task like dishwashing/cooking/scrubbing the toilet*?!
- The same way the rest of you do… with my hands.
You must sit around doing nothing all day to keep nails like that? Clearly you never do any work/are a horrible girlfriend who makes James do all the housework.
- Nope. I type all day long for work, then I do just as much cleaning as anyone else in my home life. Nails do not make you an invalid.
What’s the hardest thing to do with nails on?
- Picking up small change from a table top.
What kind of glue do you use for stick ons?
- I use pretty much whatever glue I happen to have. I don’t buy a specific brand.
Do you wear decorated nails all the time?
- No. Between work and everything else I don’t always have time to make myself nails. If I had time to make them I would probably wear them all the time though. When I don’t have time to do fake nails I do try to paint my natural ones but life does tend to get in the way ^_^
Can you make me a set of nails for *insert special reason here* I can’t pay you for your time or materials but could you do it anyway for free?
- No. I am more than happy to take commissions but due to my current work load and because it would probably send me broke… I don’t work for free!
That’s it for this time so let me know if you have any other questions! I’m going to be doing a big old Decoden FAQ in a while, let me know if you have any other nail art questions :)
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how do you insert and remove your contact lens when you have those super long stick on or acrylic nails?
Hi Fiona! Rather than using the tip of my finger I use the pads where my finger print is to put in/remove the contacts. You an also buy little gadgets that look like chopsticks with rubber on the ends which make it easier. Hope that helps!
This is fantastic! One question though, do you prefer glue or nail tape? Cause it would be a shame to melt away some of those beautiful designs!
I prefer glue but I’m a bit naughty because I just rip of the nails when I’m done.. not recommended at all but I don’t care about my natural nails so it works for me! If you get really good tape it can be really awesome though.
hi!
The first nails with the purple tips are so cute! Do you think you could post a tutorial of how to make them? I’d love to try it on my natural nails!
bye
Hi! Thanks very much ^_^ I might do a tutorial, thanks for the suggestion I will add it to my list. Thanks for the suggestion!
great advice ^^ i cant wear false nails or nail varnish becuase of work but i found this really imformative :3 I loved a couple of your last answers too :p
Haha thank you! I’m glad it was informative :D
very useful!
:D Thanks!
‘Nails do not make you an invalid’ – bwahahahahaaa!!!
*cheesie grin* Well I don’t know what some people think! I’ve been asked so many times about this that some people must think I live on a bead of feathers with a team of servants! Trust me, only in my dreams do half naked oily men feed me peeled grapes.
You are like the nail queen to me! that photo with the little kiwi fruit slices is so adorable!
:D Thanks Celina! I love the little fruit slices too!
Awesome Faq, I have terrible nails naturally too, I nibble at them a lot! I usually have a day or two break between the nails I make (I have fruity ones at the moment to beat winter blues :<) I think the hardest thing to do with Nails on is trying to pick up small change or bobby pins off my floating floor boards, it's easier to coax my daughter to pick small things like that up for me XD That hook idea is amazing, I have little stand with blue tack on it but I've only got enough for 5 nails so I have to wait until they're dry until I do more, I think I might nick your idea and pop down to the hardware store!
Once again Thanks a bundle, I love your posts :D (Sorry for the wall of text!)
No I love the wall of text! :D You are so right about bobby pins, I am lucky to have James to do that for me too XD OMG I used to have a blue tack stand too, I used match sticks with blue tack on either end! Seriously the hook thing is waaaay better and much more stable. I need to make more so I’ll do a tutorial on making them :D
<3
This was very helpful! I’ve recently (since I started reading your blog and admiring your nails) been interested in nail art and so this FAQ was most interesting.
I just bought my first kit of fake nails and I’m going to try them very soon. My real nails always peel and chip too easily, but especially since I wash dishes.
Congratulations on your new nail store!
Thanks so much! I can’t wait to see how you go with the fake nails, just make sure you don’t submerge them in hot water for 24hrs after applying! That will weaken them, after that it’s fine though ^_^
Hi, I stumbled across you wonderful blog while researching japanese nail art. I wanted to know where do you buy your oval shape fake nails? All I can find in Melbourne are the square ones which I’m not too fond of. Thanks!
Hey Bec! Thanks so much for commenting :D I’ve been lucky enough to find the oval ones a couple of times in Priceline but generally I just order them off ebay or in bulk from China. I haven’t found anywhere locally that can do them in bulk unfortunately. Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any more questions <3
Hi Violet! Would it be too much if you could recommend some good ebay sellers or online shops that you purchase the fake nails from? Thanks so much ^____^
Hi Bec! I don’t usually go through any particular ebay seller, because they rotate stock so much half the time you’ll find one good seller then go to order again and they have nothing! Most of the nail stores on there are all the same though, just check the feedback before you order. The Oval ones are harder to find so I just search and see what’s available and cheapest :) If there’s nothing available at the time I just buy longer square ones and then hand file them to shape. When I’m ordering from China I do so in bulk and use websites like this: http://www.alibaba.com/
It’s in bulk though so you generally end up paying a couple of hundred dollars but you sure won’t run out of nails in a hurry haha! If you are looking for pre-decorated ones you can always check my store: http://www.violetlebeaux.com/store
Hope that helps, let me know if you need anything else <3
Dear Violet,
What kind of topcoat can I put on the fake nails to make the polish stay on for a long time?
Clear nail polish has to be reapplied, and it peels after a couple of days. To keep the fake nails lasting a long time without the polish peeling, what should I put on them? Shellac?! XD
I’ve always wanted to do my own nailart, but this question has always bothered me.
I consider myself a nail enthusiast, (LOL!) but the hook and blue tac board is a new trick to me! It’s such a great idea, it would make painting my fake nails SO much easier! Thanks for the tip. :)
It would be super if you could offer me any advice or suggest anything I could use to fix my nails. Thank You!
Sincerely,
Andrea <3
Hi Andrea, I just use regular clear nail polish to top coat my false nails. I know some girls use gel top coats but I think that can be unnecessary depending on the design. Perhaps try another brand of clear polish? I’ve used Sally Hansen and also Revlon and I liked both of them. I’ve never had trouble with them peeling even after a couple of weeks. I’m so glad you found this post useful! I hope this helps and do let me know if you have any other questions :)
Dear Violet,
I guess my nails got so peel-y because I used a cheap brand of nail polish. (That’s probably past its prime anyways since I can’t even remember when I bought it!) I’ll have to try a better brand next time. ^^;
Thanks for the help.
Andrea <3
Hi Andrea, Oh yes if your polish is very old then that could be the reason it’s peeling :( Polishes usually only last a couple of years so I would definitely suggest a new one! No problem, very happy to help <3 Have a great weekend!
Hi I haven’t looked at your whole blog but I was wondering if u knew where to buy the japanese like 3D nail art as I have naturally long nails and I can only seem to find pre made nail sets with all the nice nail jewelry I already have plain jewels and fimo rods but I can’t really find the other things if u could help me out that’d be great thanks!
You mean just small pieces of acrylic art to glue to your own nails? I’m not too sure, maybe etsy? Usually the acrylic pieces are actually made on the nails so they mold to the curve. You should be able to find a nail artist in your area who can do that for you. You can see the places I buy my supplies in my FAQ. Hope that helps!
Hi Violet, I was wondering why my nails break off so eaisly and how can I prevent that. I don’t chew or do anything to them(haven’t polished them in two years!) but they always manage to look trashed and peeled, any suggestions on how to make my nails stronger?
Love,
Poinsettia
Poinsettia recently posted..How To Do A Mini Bow Hairstyle Photo Tutorial
Hi Poinsettia! Most likely if you have weak nails it will be something to do with diet or vitamin intake. You can google vitamins and supplements to take to strengthen nails but it’s best to talk to your doctor about if it’s ongoing. I have weak nails too and changing my diet to be healthier definitely helped! Good luck :)